Ministry, Japan promote tourism
THE Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Cambodian embassy in Tokyo and representatives of the Japanese tourism industry, promoted the Kingdom’s tourism potential in the Japanese market at the Cambodia Festival 2023, in Tokyo, Japan.
In a statement, it said representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the private sector participated in the May 3-4 festival, which aimed to implement the strategic vision of phase II of the Rehabilitation and Promotion of Tourism in Cambodia during and PostCovid-19 Crisis (2020-2025).
“The exhibition also supported the ‘Visit Cambodia 2023’ campaign, describing the Kingdom as a tourist destination which offers warmth, safety, and a clean, green environment under the slogan ‘Every day is a Wonder’,” it said.
The festival featured Cambodian food, beverages and souvenirs, as well as traditional arts and culture through artistic performances for visitors, with a total of about 100 booths.
“This year, we expected to attract about 50,000 foreign and Cambodian visitors,” the ministry said.
Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia Chapter (PATACC) chairman Thourn
Sinan said on May 3 that promoting Cambodia’s tourism potential is important to the tourism industry, but noted that Japanese visitor numbers to the region have been in decline since 2017.
“Events of this kind are very important to showcase our potential as a popular destination,” he added.
According to the tourism ministry, Japan is an important target market for Cambodia. It said that Cambodia received
2,276,626 international vistors last year, 297,333 of them Japanese.
“In the first two months of this year, we welcomed 11,465 Japanese tourists, an increase of 1,176.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2022.
“This shows that the tourism situation in Cambodia is returning to normality. Cambodia expects to greet about 70,000 Japanese tourists this year,” it said.